Harmonic attachment foe key board musical instruments



(N0 ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.,

J. W. LONG. HARMONIG ATTACHMENT FOR KEY BOARD MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

No. 320,148. Patented June 16, 1885..

III

lih'i'iiim lllllillllll 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

. J W LONG HARMONIG ATTACHMENT FOR KEY BOARD MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Patented June, 16, 1885.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. LONG, OF WAELDER, TEXAS.

HARMONIC ATTACHMENT FOR KEY-BOARD MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,148. dated June 16, 1885.

Application filed July 8, 1884.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN WV. LONG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waelder, Gonzales county, and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an attachment for organs, pianos, and the like musical instruments; and it has for its object to provide a cheap, simple, and convenient attachmentthat can be readily applied to any such instrument without special appliances; and to this end it consists in a device constructed and arranged as more particularly pointed out hereinafter.

It is often desirable, both for the purpose of amusement and instruction, to provide means whereby various chords may be struck or accompaniments played without requiring that the keys of the piano or other instrument be each struck by the fingers of the performer. Especially is this the fact with persons unskilled in music or the art of performing upon such instrument. 7

- It is the object of my invention to provide a means whereby any one, whether skilled or not, may be able to perform, and especially be able to play accompaniments to songs and thelike. I am aware that devices of a similar character have heretofore been employed; but the device or attachment I haveproduced is exceedingly simple, cheap, and effective, and the keys are arranged in an improved manner, whereby the operator may manipulate them conveniently and without liability of mistake.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more particular description of my invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a musical instrument with my attachment in place for the operator. Fig. 2 is a plan of part of t-hetop of the attachment, showing the arrangement of the keys. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of a part of the attachment, showing the arrangement of the pins or strikers. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a part of the device. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the key-board, showing a View of the hand of the operator in position; and Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the attachment.

In a suitable frame or case, A, preferably made of some light wood, are arranged a num- (No model.)

ber of bars or strips, B, part of which are pivoted at each end of the case, as at b b, the inner endsof the bars extending toward the middle of the frame. These bars are of different 1engths,and corresponding ones abut, or nearly so, against each other, each bar of the pairs being of such length as to best accommodate the striking-pairs in the desired position, and

the division-lines are preferably so arranged as to break joints, as shown in Fig. 3. To the under side of these bars B are secured a number of striking-pins, O, and these are arranged on the bars at such a distance apart and are of a proper length to strike the desired number of keys on the instrument to sound the proper chord. It will be observed that the pins intended to strike the black keys of the instrument are shorter than those intended to strike the white keys. These striking-pins C may be of any suitable material and form, those shown being of metal having rounded or finished heads, and these heads may be covered with some suitable material-such as felt or leather-to prevent them from injuring the keys of the instrument and from making any unpleasant sound by contacting therewith.

Attached to the bars or strips B,and passing through the cover ofthe case A, are the spindles 1), having a head or finger-key.E, of any suitable shape, those shown being cylindrical. These finger-keys E may be of any suitable material, and may havea rounded head,either convex or concave, and a letter or character may be placed thereon indicating the tone or key of the chord; or such character may be placed on the top of the case A in a proper po sition to aid the uninitiated.

To prevent the strips or keys from rattling or jarring, elastic washers a may bear on them at the point of support, as shown, or flat springs may be used in place of the washers.

In some instances it may be preferred to use springs 72 to assist in returning and maintaining the strip in its proper position, but these can ordinarily be dispensed with, the spring in the instrument operated upon being sufficient.

In Fig. 2 I have illustrated what I have found to be the best manner of arranging or grouping the finger keys. There are two groups of keys E, one on each side of a dividing-line, a2, and these are arranged in re- ICO verse order with relation to each other, so that the corresponding finger of each hand of the performer is used to make a complete chord in any given tonicas, for instance, the extreme key on each side of the dividing-line is marked E, and it is intended that they shall be struck by the third fiugerof each hand. The key next to it on each side is marked D, and is to be struck by the middle finger, while the key next to this, in a position to be attached to the strip between the two above mentioned, is marked A, and is to be struck by the first or index finger of the operator. It will thus be seen that when the hand of the operator is placed in its natural position, as shown in Fig. 5, upon the keyboard, the first finger of each hand will naturally be in position to strike the tonic or principal chord of any key, as A, while the middle and third fingers are in position to strike the dominant and subdominant, respectively. The same relative arrangement ofthe three principal chords ofany key will be seen by reference to Fig. 2, as the keys marked D G A for the key of D, G F G for the key of O, &c. It will be seen that the performer can easily change from one key to another by simply moving the hands so that the index finger of each will naturally lie upon or be over the finger key or pin having a mark corresponding to the tonic or mode of the desired key. 3y this arrangement it will be seen that by means of a group of eight keys, two of which are on a single bar or strip, as (7, I am enabled to produce the three principal chords in five different keys, and the movements of the fingers will be the same, naturally in all, to play or produce the tonic, dominant, and subdominant, so that however uir skilled the performer may be he has only to learn the proper order in which to move his three fingers to produce the proper chords and harmony, and he can play in one key as well as in another.

It is evident that by adding more strips this arrangement of finger-keys may be eX- tended; but I have found that the number shown is sufficient, as any song or piece of music may readily be transposed into one of the keys represented.

By this means I am enabled to produce an attachment having large capacity and the smallest and most compact form, and to render the fingering extremely simple.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. An attachment for musical instruments, consisting of a case open at the bottom and having a series of bars pivotally supported at each end of the ease, springs for maintaining the bars in their normal position, a series of strikingpins on each bar and one or more keys attached to each bar, passing through the top of the case, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the case A, strips or bars B, pivoted at the opposite end of the case and carrying strikingpins and fingerkeys, the inner ends of the bars being arranged to break joints, as and For the purpose set forth.

3. An attachment for organs, and the like, having two groups of keys, one on each side of the central line, the groups being arranged in reverse order with relation to each other, substantially as described.

4. In an attachment for musical instruments, two sets of keys arranged in reverse order to each other, and having the tonic, dominant, and subdominant keys of each set on different lines, but 011 the same relative lines in the two sets, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN \V. LONG.

\Vitnesses:

Gus. KENNER, A. S. TowsoN. 

